Posts under ‘Yves Saint Laurent’

James Andrew at the Pagoda Red satellite store, 1stDIbs, New York City. photo by Matthew Dean

Getting ideas for our WIJW Shangai HQ, I’m pictured (above) at the stunning Chicago based Pagoda Red satellite gallery located at 1stDIbs, 200 Lexington Avenue here in New York City.

As you may know we here at WIJW are huge fans of Asian art and antiques—supremely versatile, Asian work can bring that perfectly exotic touch to a wide range of interiors—from modern to transitional to more traditional interiors; in fact, I incorporate Asian pieces in nearly all of the interiors I create for my clients.

For a rather remarkable selection of Chinese art and antique, Chicago based Pagoda Red is a fantastic go-to resource. They have a rich selection of 18th and 19th century Chinese furniture and art as well as contemporary Chinese and Asian work. Regarding the latter, there is a noteworthy emerging base of designers and artists that are now producing some spectacular contemporary Asian pieces like the lovely lucite chair with Ming porcelain-style joints I’m picture sitting in, or the marvelous meditation stone writing table with a modernist metal base (also pictured below)—a super chic conflation of old and new.

Lucite and porcelain chairs. Each blue and white porcelain joint is hand-painted with a Ming lotus pattern and fired in the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen. Beijing, China, 2010

One is not likely to forget one’s first steps through the spectacular entrance at La Mamounia. Fabulous doormen in pristine exotic dress await there to assist in every way possible—it’s grand theater really, and choreographed to perfection. Of course, the impeccable service extends throughout the hotel making it quite difficult, as we mentioned in our previous post, to find a compelling reason to leave the confines of the hotel’s beautifully tiled walls.

La Mamounia - photo Gabriel Everett

My obsession with the work of the legendary Bill Willis, however, did provide exactly that compelling reason to venture off the grounds. As many of you may know, Willis was an American designer who settled in Marrakech in the 1960’s—his take on Moroccan design and a revival of its decorative arts won him some quite notable clients, including Paul and Talitha Getty, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge to name just a few.

Bill Willis interior at Dar-Yaccout

I made a point to see as many in tact Bill Willis interiors as I could. One example was the restaurant Dar Yaccout, which was originally a palace and later converted to a restaurant. Sadly now, it is but a ghost of its former Bill Willis splendor—only a die-hard Bill Willis fan might appreciate the current space. Alas.

Inspired by the impossibly chic ascot-wearing assassin played by Edward Fox in the 1973 film adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s “The Day of the Jackal,” (which I’m a bit embarrassed to say I’ve only just seen), I’ve revisited my ascot and scarf drawer, and have been wearing them with some fanciful delight. I’m also happy to see quite a resurgence in men wearing ascot-style scarves (aka “day cravats”), including high profile trend setters like Brad Pitt and David Beckham. While it’s been rather neglected, and, in some cases, outright rejected (particularly by some, shall we say, less than secure men), a cravat/ascot really is just the perfect accessory when wishing to add a touch of semi-formal panache to one’s ensemble—a note of color and pattern to pop things up, or simply to soften an uncomfortable collar! I look forward to incorporating many more into my wardrobe and encourage our reader’s (if they do not already wear them) to try out this super chic accessory.

“…ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE CURVE…JAMES ANDREW: INTERIOR DESIGNER, STYLE ICON AND BLOGGER EXTRAORDINAIRE IS THE LATEST ARBITER OF STYLE.”

“THE LATEST … ARBITER OF GOOD TASTE ….”

“JAMES ANDREW IS THE ULTIMATE DANDY”… “GATSBY-MEETS-GUCCI STYLE…”

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